The Art of Making Incense

The alluring and transcendent aroma of pure incense has been used throughout time for both spiritual and practical applications. With just a few ingredients, you can easily craft dozens of aromatic sticks, cones, and cylinders at home. Watch this tutorial from our friends at Mountain Rose Herbs and also there is a special recipe below.

Wintertide Aroma Blend

• 4 parts Lemongrass powder
• 3 parts Makko powder
• 2 parts Frankincense powder
• 2 parts Myrrh powder
• 1 part Benzoin Gum powder

Follow the instructions in the video and enjoy!

Herbal Iron Syrup

As a woman, it's important to make sure I eat healthy, and intake the proper amount of vitamins and minerals. This formula below, taken from Rosemary Gladstars' Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health, is loaded with vitamins and minerals, especially iron, in which women are most often deficient. And it's tasty too!

Ingredients

• 3 parts dandelion leaf
• 3 parts dandelion root
• 3 parts nettle
• 3 parts raspberry leaf
• 2 parts alfalfa leaf
• 2 parts yellow dock root
• 1 part hawthorn berry
• honey

Combine all the herbs. Now with the honey, we will make a syrup

1. Use 2 ounces of herb mixture to 1 quart of water. Over low heat, simmer the liquid down to 1 pint. This will give you a very concentrated tea.
2. Strain the herbs from the liquid. Pour the liquid back into the pot.
3. To each pint of liquid, add 1 cup of honey (or other sweetener, such as maple syrup, vegetable glycerin, or brown sugar). 
4. Warm the honey and the liquid together only enough to mix well. Most recipes instruct you to cook the honey and the tea together for 20 to 30 minutes over high heat to thicken further. This will make it thicker, but will also cook out the living enzymes in the honey.
5. When the syrup is thoroughly mixed, you may wish to add a fruit concentrate to flavor, or a couple of drops of essential oil, such as peppermint or spearmint, or a small amount of brandy to help preserve the syrup and to aid as a relaxant in cough formulas.
6. Remove the syrup from the heat. For every 2 cups of syrup add the following:

• 1/4 cups brandy
• 1/4 cup fruit concentrate
• 2 tablespoons blackstrap molasses
• 2 teaspoons nutritional yeast
• 2 teaspoons spirulina powder

     7.  Stir well, then bottle, seal, and label. Store in the refrigerator, where the syrup will keep for
          several months. Take 4 to 6 tablespoons daily. 

Flu Remedies

Flu season is here and if you are like me, I am not too keen on getting a flu shot. Just my personal decision. So here are some home remedies taken from Jude's Herbal Home Remedies that can help ease the symptoms if you get the flu. Remember, these are not to replace the care of a doctor if you start experiencing severe symptoms.

Flu Remedy Using Elder Flowers

• Pour 4 cups of boiling water over 2 tablespoons each of elder flowers and peppermint leaves. Cover and let steep 15 minutes. Strain and sweeten. Give 1 cup of warm flu remedy every hour to produce sweating.

Flu Remedy Using White Yarrow

• Put 1 tablespoon each of white yarrow, boneset, and skullcap in 2 cups of water. Simmer for 30 minutes. Strain. Add 1 tablespoon of this liquid and 1 teaspoon of psyllium seed, flavored to taste, to one cup of boiling water. Sweeten with corn syrup. Drink every 30 minutes. This takes care of backaches and headaches too.

 

 Flu Symptoms

• Pour 8 cups boiling water over 2 tablespoons of dried sage. Add the juice of 1 lemon and 1 orange, and 2 tablespoons of honey. Mix well, cover, and steep for 1 hour. Strain and drink as often as desired. Reheat as needed.